Support for gender transitioning is on the decline in the US, according to a new poll released by Gallup Monday. Gallup’s Values and Beliefs survey compared popular opinion in the US in May 2021 and May of this year, and found that support for transgenderism has slipped over the past two years. Over two-thirds (69%) of Americans now say that athletes must compete as their birth gender, with just over a quarter (26%) saying that transgender athletes should be able to compete as the gender they currently identify with. Two years ago, 34% of respondents said athletes should be able to compete as the gender they identify with, compared to 62% who said they should compete with members of their biological sex. The percentage of Americans who believe changing one’s gender to be morally acceptable also declined over the past two years, falling from 46% in 2021 to 43% in 2023. The percentage of respondents who say it is not morally acceptable rose from 51% to 55%. Republicans were least likely to say changing genders is morally acceptable, with 22% saying it was acceptable in 2021 versus 15% in 2023, compared to 76% saying it was unacceptable in 2021 versus 84% in 2023. Independents were evenly divided on the question in 2021, 48% - 48%, and now are slightly less likely to believe it is acceptable (50% to 46%). Only Democrats grew more likely to say it is acceptable over the past two years, with the percentage of respondents backing gender changes rising from 67% to 70%, while the percentage of those who said it is morally wrong fell from 31% to 29%.
